20 Cambodian soldiers killed in ammunition explosion at a military base

Cambodian PM Hun Manet said that he was ‘deeply shocked’ when he received the news of explosion

Updated - April 27, 2024 07:10 pm IST - Phnom Penh

A file photo of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

A file photo of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. | Photo Credit: AP

Twenty soldiers were killed and several others injured in an ammunition explosion at a base in the west of Cambodia on April 27 afternoon, Prime Minister Hun Manet said.

Mr. Hun Manet said in a Facebook post that he was “deeply shocked” when he received the news of the explosion at the base in Kampong Speu province.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion and Mr. Hun Manet did not say in his post on Facebook.

He offered condolences to the soldiers’ families and promised the government would pay for their funerals and provide compensation both to those killed and those injured.

Pictures from the scene showed a destroyed building still smoldering, and soldiers receiving treatment in a hospital.

Mr. Hun Manet, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, was promoted to be a four-star general shortly before he was elected to serve as prime minister, succeeding his autocratic father Hun Sen.

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